Bulgaria

F

Education

All schools in Bulgaria are free and state controlled and were modelled after those in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). A major aim of the Bulgarian educational system is to supply technical and skilled workers to meet the demands of heavy, as opposed to service, industry. Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 16. In the mid-1990s approximately 1,218,000 pupils attended elementary schools in Bulgaria, and about 213,300 students were enrolled in secondary, vocational, or teacher-training schools.

The country has over 30 institutions of higher learning, including the University of Sofia (1888) and various specialized professional institutes. Total yearly enrolment in 2001–2002 amounted to approximately 228,394 students. In 2002–2003 expenditure on education amounted to some 3.6 per cent of gross national product (GNP).

G

Culture

In the Middle Ages (especially in the 10th and 11th centuries), Bulgaria was the centre of Slavic culture. Over the centuries Bulgarian culture has been influenced successively by Byzantine, Greek, Russian, and Western cultures. Bulgarian literature is an important cultural force.

Large libraries in Sofia include the Central Library of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the library of the University of Sofia, and the Cyril and Methodius National Library. The Ivan Vazov National Library is located in Plovdiv. In addition, there are many smaller public libraries.

The country has more than 200 museums. In Sofia are botanical and zoological museums and gardens; the National Archaeological Museum, with a collection of ancient coins and finds from many early burial mounds; and the National Ethnographical Museum. Other museums in the country are devoted to history, science, and the revolutionary movement.

The 13th-century frescoes of the Boyana Church near Sofia are outstanding examples of the painting of that period. Bulgarian handicrafts include rich folk embroideries and ornaments. Some of the best sculpture, woodcarving, etchings, and painting are based on traditional culture and native subjects. Outstanding Bulgarian artists include the etcher Peter Morozov, the painter Vladimir Dimitrov, and the sculptors Ivan Lazarov and Christo. The last-named, an avant-garde artist noted for his technique of wrapping objects and landscape features, now lives in the United States.

The chief architectural monuments of Bulgaria are medieval churches and monasteries. The oldest is the circular Church of St George in Sofia, originally a pagan temple. The Rila Monastery, founded in the 10th century, is striking in its mountainous setting. An important monument of the 11th century is Bachkovo Monastery, south of Plovdiv. A major modern structure is the large, ornate Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia.

Traditional Bulgarian music includes folk songs and choral plain chants in the Greek mode for church services. The chief native musical instruments are the gaida (bagpipe) and the kaval (a wooden flute traditionally used by shepherds). The characteristic folk dances are variations of the hora, a round chain dance, and the ruchenitsa, a lively dance for two couples. Modern Bulgarian orchestral and operatic compositions have occasionally gained recognition in other countries. Among leading composers are Petko Stainov and Pancho Vladigerov.

IV

Economy

Until 1947 Bulgaria was predominantly agricultural, with virtually no heavy industry. In Communist Bulgaria following World War II, all industrial enterprises were nationalized and operated under a series of five-year economic plans, modelled after the Soviet system, with financial aid from the USSR. Heavy industry was the government’s highest priority. Privatization and other market reform measures were begun after 1992. Since the mid-1950s new resorts have been developed along the Black Sea, partly by private individuals, in an attempt to attract foreign visitors. The pace of privatization has been erratic and characterized by delays, inefficiencies, and corruption, and plans have been announced to find buyers for large enterprises still under state control. The enterprises include pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturers, the national air carrier, a tourist resort on the Black Sea, the monopoly-holding telecommunications company, and the largest oil-refinery in the region. A radical plan was also unveiled to liquidate the enterprises should they remain unsold after 15 months. In 2004, the country’s GNP was US$21,336 million, equivalent to US$3,990 per head (World Bank figures). In 2003 exports were valued at US$7,540 million although imports amounted to US$10,901 million.

A

Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing

Collectivization of agriculture in Bulgaria was begun in the early 1950s; in the late 1980s most farmland was under the control of the country’s collective and state farms. Private holdings were limited to a small size, but accounted for more than one quarter of total agricultural output. Land reforms in the early 1990s redistributed land that had been collectively farmed during the communist era and fallen into disuse during the period of transition. The policy of returning the land to its pre-collective owners in small areas averaging less than 2.5 hectares, with only a small number receiving proper titles to the land, precluded leasing to professional farmers and the establishment of a market in land. Further reforms are proposed to allow leasing of unlimited areas of land and the participation of foreigners in bidding for leases at auction. The chief crops are wheat, rye, maize, barley, oats, cotton, tobacco, grapes, tomatoes, sugar beet, potatoes, and cabbage. In 2006 some 3.30 million tonnes of wheat, 1,587,805 tonnes of maize, and 41,956 tonnes of tobacco were harvested. In 2006 the livestock population included some 19.5 million poultry, 1.60 million sheep, 0.94 million pigs, and 621,797 cattle.

The principal Bulgarian timber areas are in the vicinity of the Rila, Rhodope, and Balkan mountains. In the early 1990s about 3.5 million cu m (124 million cu ft) of timber were produced each year.

The fishing industry, which began to expand in the 1960s and 1970s, produced a catch of about 8,579 tonnes in 2005 (in 1980 it had been 126,412 tonnes). Canning and processing plants are located at Varna and Burgas, on the Black Sea coast.

B

Mining

Coal furnishes the bulk of Bulgaria’s mineral production. Total annual coal production was about 27.2 million tonnes in 2003. Oil was discovered in 1951; in 2004 about 365,250 barrels of crude oil were produced. Production of iron ore was about 120,000 tonnes in 2004. Copper, zinc, lead, and natural gas are also commercially exploited.